


SHUSH Part 2 (Carisi and Barba's Date-Date)

by Indiprincess



Series: SHUSH [2]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: First Dates, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Romantic Fluff, Touching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-01
Updated: 2015-12-01
Packaged: 2018-05-04 09:08:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5328587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Indiprincess/pseuds/Indiprincess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>On SHUSH I had a few requests for the actual date (such kind comments), so I thought I would give it a shot and post this for a bit and see how it goes (again not part of my Sonny/Reader series, their update will be this weekend).  I hope you like their date and as always, thank you so much for reading and I do so hope you enjoy. :)</p>
    </blockquote>





	SHUSH Part 2 (Carisi and Barba's Date-Date)

**Author's Note:**

> On SHUSH I had a few requests for the actual date (such kind comments), so I thought I would give it a shot and post this for a bit and see how it goes (again not part of my Sonny/Reader series, their update will be this weekend). I hope you like their date and as always, thank you so much for reading and I do so hope you enjoy. :)

Sonny stands in front of the mirror in his studio, in his hands he holds the fourth shirt he will try on tonight and he finally settles on this one, the black long sleeve polo shirt.  He likes the way the thin fabric feels cool against his skin and lies along his shape.  He goes for the grey pants he always wears, an old favorite that he has certainly gotten his money's worth out of. He almost regrets asking Barba if this was a real date, "a date-date" was how he had put it, the thought of it being an official date worrying at his nerves.  He calms down by reminding himself that this is a real date that Barba had asked him on.  Barba is a powerful, successful player in the criminal justice world who cold have any man or woman that he wanted, and he had pursued Sonny.  And after the rough start the two of them had when Carisi first arrived at SVU, he wasn't sure they would ever be able to even stand being in the same room together.  But somehow, over the months, what had started as contempt slowly and surely morphed into understanding and genuine affection and now who knows what that could morph into going forward from tonight.  Carisi grabs his black jacket, turns off the light, quickly crosses himself and heads out to Pangione's.

*****************************

Barba steps out of his shower and wraps a beige towel around his waist.  He stands in the mirror, fixing his hair, shaving off his 5 o'clock shadow and splashes on the expensive, exotic aftershave he likes.  He turns to the side and examines himself, starting at his midsection, sucking in a tummy that long disappeared this summer.  He felt more nervous than he wanted to admit and he wasn't sure why.  He'd asked Carisi out and the man said yes.  He hadn't turned Barba down flat, they were meeting shortly.  But dating a somewhat co-worker presented its own challenges and that was probably what he was really batting around his brain.  He forces himself to stop thinking of all the reasons why this was not going to work.  If he was going to do that, why had he even bothered asking the young man out in the first place?  He wanders to his bedroom closet to pick out an outfit for tonight, smiling to himself as he thinks about Sonny.

When he had first met Carisi all those months ago, he would have never imagined he would ever have been interested in the know-it-all blowhard who spouted off at the mouth and had somehow always managed to fray his nerves with his incessant and eager interjections.  Then somewhere along the way, without him even realizing when or how, Carisi had softened his rough manner, and his ego and need to constantly prove himself had calmed, which caused Barba to react in kind.  Perhaps Sonny felt he had finally found his fit after bouncing around so many precincts.  Eventually Barba had even found himself looking forward to the times when Carisi would stop by his office. He enjoyed the admiration from the young man and even privately reveling in the opportunity to teach Sonny's eager mind about the law, but he'd kept that to himself, not wanting to take their interactions back to awkward or uncomfortable in any manner.

Barba pulls out a grey cashmere sweater, softer than a baby's breath and an old favorite that gives him confidence.  He knows how good he looks in it with it's small V-neck showing his gold cross and a smattering of his chest hair.  He pulls on his black slacks and gives himself a final spritz of cologne and head to the front door.  He turns off his lights, quickly crosses himself and heads out to Pangione's.

****************************************

Sonny arrives at Pangione's first, anxious and jittery.  He drinks down two glasses of water, wrings his napkin, and his leg bounces nervously.  Barba breezes in ten minutes late, portraying an outer calm and coolness his insides do not feel.  That ability comes thanks to years of practicing it in the courtroom, he knows how to hide his nerves.

"Counselor!"  Sonny sounds genuinely excited as he stands to greet Barba, his dimples pocking his cheeks, and his knee bangs into the table, sloshing his water.

Ever observant Sonny notices that Barba gives the slightest jump at the clatter and gathers that Barba must be nervous too, and knowing that Barba cares enough to be jittery too calms his nervousness slightly. He leans around the tiny table and without thinking, gives Barba a fast kiss on the cheek that catches him completely off guard.  Sonny feels him stiffen and his reaction has made Sonny uneasy all over again, his peace lasting only a moment.  _Why did I just do that?_ He thinks and he rolls his eyes at himself as he pulls away and goes to take his seat.

Barba had been completely caught off guard by Sonny's peck on his cheek.  Barba was not one for affections, much less public ones, but he regrets how he reacted in the moment.  He just briefly sees Sonny roll his eyes as he went to sit down and that pulls at Barba's heart.  He doesn't want Sonny to worry about anything but having a nice time tonight.  He wants Sonny to be at ease like he was in his apartment when he had cooked Barba that amazing dinner, looking totally relaxed and confident in his own kitchen. That's what Barba wanted for tonight, not for Sonny to second guess himself.  In the instant before Sonny sits down, Rafael grabs his upper arm and gives it a reassuring squeeze and offers him a small, tight smile to help him unwind.  It works like a charm and he sees Sonny visibly relax once again. 

Personal relationships do not come easy to Barba and he sends up a quick prayer of thanks that he was able to set Sonny at ease.  _Abuela must be watching over me tonight_ he thinks, smiling down at her el juez, always so proud of him and how successful he had been professionally.  And how she would be smiling now that Rafael wanted that same success in his personal life and he was starting off with someone who was genuinely caring and upright.  The thought of his abuela's nodding approval brings a real, genuine smile to Rafael's face and relaxes his demeanor.

Sonny was so grateful for that fast, simple squeeze of his arm.  That little reassurance that he hadn't made a complete fool of himself really helped.  He didn't know why he pecked Barba's cheek, but he had always very open with caring and affection and he hadn't thought twice until he felt Barba stiffen.  Now, sitting across from Barba's loosened body and easy smile, he feels himself relax and is able to let that go.

"Hey, I ordered a bottle of Oliver Winery Soft Red for the table."  Sonny tells Barba.  "It's sooo good, it's like candy.  I could down the whole bottle."

Sonny's enthusiasm makes Barba smile even broader. The man is enthusiastic for everything apparently.  "Great Carisi.  The bottle of burgundy you had at your place was outstanding."  Barba leans into him across the small table and lets his green eyes burn into those blue ones and says soft and low.  "I trust your judgment."  As he leans back into his seat Barba doesn't think Carisi could smile any bigger if his life depended on it, and he hopes that Sonny can hear he means more than just his choice of wines.  The blush that marks Carisi's dimpled cheeks lets Barba know his words have hit the exact mark he intended.

The spicy scent of Barba's alluring aftershave lingers in Sonny's brain long after Barba leans back into his chair, the scent unsteadies him faster than the wine.  He holds the menu up to his face to give himself a moment to regain his composure and let his burning cheeks calm themselves.  Barba picks up his menu as well, and Sonny is grateful for the reprieve of the evening's gentle pitching back and forth from familiar to changed, comfortable to awkward, as these two opposites delve into their attraction.  "So what do you think you might like?"  Sonny asks innocently.

Barba grins behind his menu and hesitates on his answer.  He decides to go with an innocuous one since Carisi is still blushing behind his menu over there.  There will be time, he hopes.  Plenty of time for future flirtation and flustering, no need to rush.  "Well Carisi, since I was promised something that tastes better than Olive Garden, I thought I would let you order for me."  Barba smiles as he folds his menu and pushes up the sleeves of his cashmere sweater against the heat of the small, intimate restaurant.

*******************************

Sonny orders bruschetta and bread with olive oil for appetizer, Barba notes his friendliness and familiarity with the wait staff, he must come here often.  He orders a second bottle of the Soft Red, he and Barba having made short work of the first one.  Sonny orders Cotoletta and potatoes for himself and orders Saltimbocca alla Romana for Barba, once again calling on the saints for help, but feeling much more confident this time around.

While they wait for dinner, they enjoy companionable small talk over the appetizers, discussing light topics like school, family, and favorite books, Rafael deliberately steering clear of work topics.  Tonight now feels so easy and light, he wants the daily darkness of their profession to have no place between them right now.  It gets too much of their time and too much space in their brains and hearts as it is.  Sonny brings up favorite movies.

"Like, legal, lawyer movies, you know?  Not all time favorite movies."  He says with that accent that becomes so much more distinct when he's comfortable and maybe had a bit to drink, and gesturing with his hands as usual.

"Anatomy of a Murder."  Barba lobs back without even having to take any time at all to think.  Sonny stares back blankly and blinks.  "Carisi, don't tell me you've never seen Anatomy of a Murder."  Sonny shrugs in response.  "Detective, you work in SVU and are in law school, how could you not have seen that movie?  I mean it's no My Cousin Vinny Carisi but still..."  Barba teases him with that movie, taking a stab in the dark that would be one of Sonny's favorites and the dimples coming back out tell him he is right.  "It was groundbreaking for it's time.  Can you imagine the publics reaction to this movie about rape and murder when it came out in 1959? It's all about the legal aspect and the "he said she said" that happens in court. Starring Jimmy Stewart no less!  Carisi it was written by a Supreme Court Justice from Michigan about an actual case of his and the judge in the movie is played by a real judge from the McCarthy hearings.  It was directed by Otto Preminger."  Barba smacks a hand on the table for emphasis.

Carisi is tickled by Barba's passion about this movie and his inability to believe that he had not seen it.  He's always enjoyed watching Rafael when a fire is lit in him, no matter the cause.  Barba motions to the waiter.  "Could you please box our dinner to go?  Thank you so much."

"To go?"  Sonny asks.  "Barba, I'm sorry I haven't seen your favorite movie, but that's no reason to ditch me tonight."  He teases.

"SHUSH." Barba says with a wave of his finger, trying to hide his grin at this word he wants to make their own inside joke. "I'm not ditching you Carisi,  I'm going to pull out my DVD of the movie, we're going back to my place.  You're going to get an education tonight that tuition can't buy Detective.

Sonny feels the hair rise on the back of his neck and his arms at those words Barba spoke just before he finishes his last glass of Soft Red, and Sonny does the same with his last bit of wine. He secretly hopes shushing will belong privately to them, marking their new start, a start of something wonderful. As he sets his empty glass down Sonny once again decides to go for bold. It had worked out so well for him last time.  So well in fact, that he ended up here, right now, across from Rafael Barba on a date-date, hadn't he?  If he goes bold again, where will he end up this time if it works as well as the last?

"Sounds great."  He wills the blush not to come to his cheeks this time as he takes a turn to lean across the table to unsettle Barba.  He lets his sideways smile play on his lips.  He watches Barba stare at his mouth and he makes no motion to hide that he's caught Barba staring or to look away.  Sonny puts his own hand on the small table and for just a moment lets his pinky finger of his cool hand stroke a few times against the back of Barba's warm hand.  He watches goosebumps rise up Rafael's bare forearms and Sonny could not be more pleased with his boldness as he watches Barba swallow hard.  Sonny still will not look away, not this time. This time he winks at Barba.  **Bold** , he reminds himself, be **bold**.  He sees Barba look up toward the top of his head, Sonny had felt a curl spring loose from it's pomade and tickle his forehead.

He hopes Barba finds him as debonair as he feels tonight and is pretty confident that he does, judging by those goosebumps and that stare and he goes for bold.  "Fair warning though,"  Sonny leans even closer until his face is next to Barba's breathing in Barba's musk mixing with his aftershave and cologne.  Sonny has purposely placed his face so close, he wants Barba to feel his warm, wine-rich breath on his neck.  He's placed himself so close that he hears Barba lick his lips and feels him exhale into his ear, Rafael's hot breath stirring his desire as it dances and weaves into the curves of his pink ear. He's so close he  _swears_ he felt Barba swallow.  "I hope you're up for a challenge.  I'm a hard, _**hard**_ learner Counselor."


End file.
